Currently, a number of different types of devices are available for non-invasive monitoring of human subjects. For example, the heart function can be monitored in a subject through the use of electrodes, which must be attached to the skin of the subject. Although non-invasive, such equipment is nevertheless uncomfortable for the subject, who is attached to a network of cables and wired sensors. In addition, such equipment is very expensive, limiting its use to hospitals and other medical settings in which both the cost and the discomfort of the subject can be justified. Furthermore, discomfort and the overwhelming technological appearance of current monitoring systems may result in the subjects becoming anxious when examined by medical personnel, thereby significantly altering the normal readings for these subjects.
However, there are many different situations in which non-invasive monitoring of a human subject is desired. For example, such monitoring could be very useful as part of the overall health maintenance of the human subject, and could be used in order to detect any type of deterioration in the physiological condition of the subject before a concomitant deterioration in the health of the subject becomes noticeable. Examples of adverse physiological conditions which could be detected with regular non-invasive monitoring include, but are not limited to, excessive weight gain or weigh loss; arrhythmia and other heart conditions; incipient diabetes in the form of improper glucose metabolism; and the loss of lung capacity or other problems with respiration.
Heart rate and blood pressure are important factors in determining the state of a person's health and the physical condition of a person's body in response to physical or emotional stress. Periodic monitoring of these physical parameters is particularly important for individuals having cardiac disease and/or lowered cardiac functioning, or high blood pressure. However, physically healthy individuals may also wish to periodically monitor their heart rate and blood pressure in stressful situations, for example when engaging in strenuous exercise or in work.
In order to support regular monitoring of human subjects in their normal environment, such as in the home and at the office for example, the equipment must be non-invasive and easy to use. The equipment would then be able to monitor at least one physiological parameter of the user, without requiring the user to perform any complicated actions and/or to operate complex devices. Indeed, it would be highly preferred for the equipment to be incorporated as part of the regular daily living routine of the subject, since the requirement for any additional or special actions on the part of human subject is likely to result in decreased compliance. In addition, the equipment should be robust yet inexpensive.
For ease of use, monitoring equipment carried by the user may be used. Such monitoring equipment is required to be ready for receiving an impromptu call initiated by a medical center. However, keeping the monitoring equipment active and ready to receive a call results in reducing the lifetime of its battery. Therefore there is a need for a system that enables the Medical Service Center to make an impromptu call to the monitoring equipment, while the monitoring equipment is not active (i.e., in a sleeping mode) without losing the information that is transferred from the Medical Service Center to the monitoring equipment.
Furthermore, preferably the subject should be able to transmit the collected medical information and to communicate verbally with medical personnel. Also, medical personnel should be able to view the subject and the data being collected. In order to make the remote medical service available to wide variety of users the communication with medical personal may be carried over a common communication link such as regular telephone lines.
Common remote medical examination systems may include at least one piece of monitoring equipment carried by the user. The monitoring equipment communicates over a wireless communication channel with a gateway. On the other side, the gateway communicates to a computer at a central service center using common communication protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP) over common telephone line, ISDN etc. Such a remote medical examination system is disclosed in PCT applications PCT/IL02/00994 or in PCT/IL02/00995, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The advantage of such a system is that the user may move freely and do the normal activities that he or she is used to do while the system may monitor the subject's physical conditions. However, these systems are stationary and require some installation procedure and needs. Therefore the user may enjoy the system only while staying in the site where the system is installed, for instance in the subject's home or office.
In addition each user may have some personal data, such as: user's medical file history, special measuring programs, escalation procedures etc. It can be beneficial for a user if this information may be portable with the user and valid in case that the user is far from the site in which the remote system is installed. For example, in case that the user is in hospital, the medical personal there may have access to the system as well as to the personal medical files.
Therefore there is a need for a portable system and a method for medical monitoring system that may communicate with a medical service center. Such a system will spread the opportunity of a user to benefit from his medical services in variety of locations such as home, work, hotels hospitals etc. In addition, there is a need for a system in which personal medical data may be carried by the user.
Throughout this description the term “computer” includes, but is not limited to, Personal Computer (PC), laptop, notebook, palm computer, cellular phone etc. Henceforth, the description of the present invention may use the term ‘PC’ as a representative term for any of the above group or similar type system.